A Gathering | Cocoa + Craft
While there are many ingredients we crave that change with the seasons, chocolate and ice cream are two that never stray far from the top of our list, regardless of the time of year. When the chance to create a meal and gathering around Magnum ice cream in support of the Rainforest Alliance arose, we felt inspired by the challenge. We chose to incorporate the elements into our menu, tabletop and mood for the gathering.
We created a conceptual menu integrating sustainably sourced cocoa into several of the dishes. Cocoa nibs offer a beautiful texture to an earthy beet crostini, while coffee and cocoa make for a delicious marriage as a rub for baby back ribs.
To finish, we chose to create one of our favorite simple desserts, a deconstructed affogato. The recipe is simple, serve a dark roast coffee alongside Magnum dark chocolate ice cream bars to be dipped into the espresso as desired. Trust us, they are the perfect pair.
See the full menu below
MENU
Roasted Beet Crostini
goat cheese + cocoa nib
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Baby back ribs cocoa + coffee rub
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Market potato salad
soft boiled egg, pea shoots + herbs
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Affogato
Dark Roast Espresso + Magnum Bars
For our tabletop we chose to an aesthetic inspired by the beautiful dark ingredients we were highlighting in the meal. Using black and grey plates and linens helped us create a romantic and inviting ambience for an intimate gathering.
Personal touches of care and craft such as the handwritten menu we created here on simple, elegant card adds an extra element of care to the meal.
Magnum is committed to sourcing its cocoa in the best and most sustainable possible way and relies greatly on the Rainforest Alliance to help them achieve this. Here at Sunday Suppers, we are always aiming to source ingredients of the highest quality and to do so in a way that supports small producers with sustainable practices so it was easy to draw inspiration from Magnum’s work in Ghana’s cocoa farms. The Magnum Rainforest Alliance training programs have resulted in an average 20-30%increase in the productivity of the farming communities they work with, along with an increase in quality and greater commitment to conservation of the natural environment.
To learn more about the project and about cocoa farming, watch the video on their collaboration here.
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Photos + Styling | Karen Mordechai